Corporate Social Responsibility - Our Policy

CSR policy

We recognise that we have a responsibility for the impact of our business activities upon our people, suppliers, clients, the local community and the wider environment. Our CSR policy sets out our commitment to conduct responsible business by learning, collaborating, and developing our processes and systems. It covers sustainability, corporate citizenship, business ethics and governance.

We have adopted an integrated firm-wide approach, carrying our values through to our wider human resources, IT, facilities, business development strategies. In conjunction with other policies and procedures, including those relating to staffing, codes of conduct, compliance and regulatory frameworks, our CSR policy encourages behaviour and practices that exceed legal minimum requirements.

We pledge to be open to new ideas and practices and challenge our existing methods where appropriate. We review our CSR strategy on an ongoing basis, identifying how we can minimise the impacts we make, raise awareness among, and communicate this to our staff, clients, suppliers and community.

Workplace

We value and harness diversity in our teams. We monitor as a minimum but truly feel our workforce reflects a wide range of talents and attitudes and we benefit daily from embracing this. We recruit, develop and promote our people on merit – regardless of their demographic. Our ongoing staff dialogue programme has resulted in the development and successful implementation of policies for alternative working patterns, flexible holiday, pension provision, superior healthcare, employee assistance programmes and other benefits led by wellbeing and modern approaches to working.

Environment

We are committed to sustainable procurement, ensuring we choose responsible products from suppliers that share our CSR values. We have a ‘reduce-reuse-recycle’ policy meaning that we have introduced measures to: reduce energy consumption, paper usage waste and pollution; reuse paper and other stationery and use glasses and crockery instead of disposable cups and plates; and recycle our waste, use recycled products and donate some old equipment to charity instead of sending to landfill.

Marketplace

We seek to understand the society in which we live and the role we play within it. Our firm’s community legal team works to ensure vulnerable and disadvantaged clients have access to justice. We support local businesses, institutes and groups where possible. We seek to ensure that our marketing is ethical, honest and sensitive to those around us.

Community

Our Community Legal Services team works in the local community on criminal defence, childcare and personal injury cases, supporting the vulnerable and disadvantaged. We nominate and support a charity each year, which we support through donations and fundraising activities. We engage in local business and community partnerships, IBB people participate in charitable activities, some for personal reasons and others to support a charity linked to a client. Our community outreach involves giving free advice and talks to not-for-profit groups, engaging with the programmes of local schools and colleges and offering work experience placements.